Bully Brandon
by KittyKatBella
Summary: We are 14 now, and Brandon had lost his crush on Bella last year, but now he's more violent towards me. Everyone thinks it's because he lost his crush on Bella that he's a brute, but I'm determined to befriend the Kanker and find out the real reason, even if he deals me bodily damage while I do it.
1. A Long Day

The ring of the school bell pierced the air. I smiled as I headed to my first class of high school with my two best friends, Ed and Eddy, and my step-sister, Bella. I frowned upon realizing that I had left my highlighter in my locker.

"I'll be right there," I told my friends, "I need to get something."

I raced back to my locker, hoping I wouldn't be late for my first class in high school. What a way to demolish my perfect record! I quickly unlocked my locker and searched around for my high lighter. However, before I could locate it, someone had slammed my locker shut in front of me.

"Oh, h-hello, B-Brandon," I stuttered nervously upon seeing the one and only Kanker brother in front of me. Two other boys I didn't recognize stood behind him. Brandon had changed over the years, definitely. His midnight black t-shirt had its sleeves ripped off and his jeans were torn on the knees. His brown hair had certainly gotten out of control since he lost his crush on Bella at the end of last year, since he wasn't trying to impress her anymore.

"Whatcha doin'?" He asked meanly.

"Um, j-just g-grabbing my high l-lighter," I said, looking fearfully at him. It was well known that Brandon didn't like me, nor any other smart kid, or as he called them, 'nerds.'

"Well, what's in the bag?" He grabbed my over-the-shoulder satchel and started searching through it. He pulled out my fully-stocked pencil case and calculator, "A calculator? Jeez, what a nerd!"

The two boys behind him snickered meanly. Brandon shoved my satchel into my chest, knocking the wind out of me.

"Take your crap, nerd," one of the boys behind Brandon said.

"We'll meet you later," the other one finished as they walked off.

I quickly left before Brandon could inflict any more pain on me and entered the math room, where Ed, Eddy, and Bella were waiting for me.

"What took ya so long?" Eddy whispered so the teacher wouldn't hear him. Eddy had also changed over the years. He wore a long-sleeved white shirt with a short-sleeved black jacket over top.

"I ran into a...snag," I whispered back, leaving out the name 'Brandon.'

"Nothing bad?" Bella asked, a little worried. She now wore a pink t-shirt and jeans.

"No, nothing bad," I lied so Bella wouldn't worry anymore.

The teacher tapped a ruler on her desk lightly to get everyone's attention. She looked around the classroom, taking in all the students.

"Good morning, class," she said. She had a stiff sort of tone, "I am Mrs. Widow, your math teacher."

Mrs. Widow wore a black dress with a red hour-glass shape on the front and back, adding to her name the look of a black widow. She looked around again and seemed to noticed someone missing.

"Where's Brandon Kanker?" Mrs. Widow asked.

I paled slightly as she said that name. _Brandon Kanker_ was in my math class? Oh, dear. Even worse, his sister Marie Kanker was _also_ in my math class.

The classroom door slammed open and Brandon walked in, grumpy.

"I'm here," he mumbled as he sat down in his seat- which was right next to mine! He glared at me with his eyes full of hatred.

* * *

After the morning, we made our way to the cafeteria downstairs. I had brought my own lunch, so I told the others to go on ahead without me. I went to my locker and grabbed my lunch, but unfortunately, on the way back down, I ran into Brandon.

"Ooh, what ya got for me?" Brandon snagged my lunch bag and peered inside, "Tuna salad, apple, yogurt...Jeez, nerd, where's the dessert?"

"Um, w-well, t-the yogurt is t-the d-dessert," I answer nervously, hoping that Brandon would hand me my lunch back. I didn't have any money to buy any.

"Seriously?" He asked, "Oh well, either way."

I was about to ask 'either way what?' but Brandon started walking away- with my lunch! I sighed as my stomach grumbled from hunger. I slowly walked down to the cafeteria and found where Ed, Eddy, and Bella were sitting. I sat down next to Ed, across from Eddy and Bella.

"Hey, where's your lunch?" Ed asked me. Ed pretty much looked the same, but he no longer wore his jacket.

"Um, I must have forgotten it at home," I lied again.

"Aw, well, here," Bella handed me the apple she had bought from the school lunch, "An apple a day keeps the doctor away."

I smiled as I took the apple. "That's right."

It wasn't much, but it was enough to satisfy my growling stomach. Bella offered me half if her ice-cream sandwich, but I politely turned it down. I didn't want to bother my sister too much.

Brandon walked past with his gang and elbowed my in the back, sending me forward a few inches.

"Oops, my bad," Brandon snickered as he left. Bella glared after him.

My luck became even worse when Marie walked over at sat down next to me.

"Hiya, dreamboat," Marie greeted in her usual way. She leaned over to me and put her hands on my legs.

"Oh, h-hello, Marie," I said nervously, "Um, w-what brings you here?"

"I finished my lunch and I came for some dessert," Marie licked her lips, smiling.

"Oh dear," I started to sweat slightly.

"Beat it, Kanker!" Eddy snapped at Marie rather rudely. Marie glared at Eddy.

"Who's gonna make me?" She snapped back. Felice, who somehow was still allowed in, hissed and clawed Marie's tank top half-shirt.

"Why you little!" Marie yelled at Felice and tried to grab her but Bella seized Marie's wrists first.

"Hurt _uno_ little hair on her, and you'll wish you were never born," Bella growled threatenly. Bella was very protective of Felice. Marie gulped. She could take on Bella with her sisters, but no one could take on Bella by themselves, though Sarah could put up a good fight.

"O-ok," Marie stared at Bella, who released her grip on Marie's wrists. Marie rubbed her wrists as she walked away.

The lunch bell rang and we all headed to our next class.

* * *

After school, I had stayed behind to see if any of the teachers had any extra credit. Unfortunately, I ran into Brandon, who I guessed was on his way to detention.

"Where ya goin', nerd?" Brandon asked, "Finally get detention for once?"

"Um, n-no," I answered, "Just l-looking for some extra credit."

"Ha!" Brandon let out a laugh, "You want extra credit?" He shoved his homework into my arms, "Get that done and I might not pound ya tomorrow."

Brandon stomped off to the detention room, leaving me there with all his homework. I sighed as I exited the building and walked home, struggling under the weight from all the papers and books.

I quietly entered my house, where Bella, Ed, and Eddy were already doing their homework.

 _"Ciao,"_ Bella greeted. She didn't look up, but I assumed she saw me out of the corner of her eye, as she was listening to music while working. I never really understood how she could do both at the same time and still get good marks and not get destracted.

"Hey," Eddy said, looking up from his work. I glanced over at Ed as I sat down and sighed to see him snoring slightly. I gently shook him awake and started helping him with his homework.

* * *

After Ed and Eddy left that night, I decided to get started on Brandon's homework. I thought that he should be doing it himself, but I didn't want to get beaten, and I certainly couldn't defend myself.

After an hour, I leaned back in the chair in my room, finally complete. I sighed as I looked at the clock.

9:30.

I was half-an-hour past my bedtime, and I didn't even have a chance to brush my teeth! I looked up when I heard a small creak and looked over to see Felice sneaking in through my crack-open door.

"Hello, Felice," I said as Felice climbed into my lap. It still felt a bit strange to be talking to an animal, even after all these years, but it still felt right somehow. I knew Felice was a smart individual. Bella had translated for her words all the time, and some of her ideas to solve stuff had been quite genius!

Felice meowed slightly and tilted her head towards the clock. She was good at communicating when Bella wasn't around.

"Just getting some last-minute work done," I answered, thinking she was asking why I was up so late. Felice nodded understandably before jumping down and leaving.

I stood up and yawned before getting into my pajamas and crawling into bed.

It had certainly been a long day.


	2. Close Calls

I entered the school building the next morning, for once regretting the day ahead of me. I left Brandon's homework on top of his locker for him before heading to class.

I didn't really encounter Brandon (apart from seeing him in my math class) until lunch. After he once again had stolen my lunch, I had excused myself to go to the bathroom, and that's where I met Brandon and his gang.

 _Smoking_!

"Gentlemen, y-your not allowed t-to smoke on s-school g-grounds," I tried to reinforce the rules, but it backfired on me, just like that one time three summers ago.

"Yeah, and who's gonna know?" One of the boys glared at me.

"Yeah, who is?" The other repeated.

"Listen, nerd," Brandon started, "Unless you wanna find yourself in worse trouble than the Incident, then you'll act like you never saw us." Brandon grabbed the front of my shirt so his face was so close to mine I could smell the smoke on his breath, "Got it?"

I nodded nervously, a pool of sweat at my feet.

"Good," Brandon threw me against the wall and, I suppose for good measure, stung me with the cigarette under my sleeve. I winced in pain as I pulled my sleeve back down. I instantly left the bathroom, a tear forming in my eye.

* * *

After school, Brandon once again dumped all of his homework on me, plus his gang's homework. My arms ached with the weight of all the work as I stumbled home.

After finally completing the homework, I turned down mine, Bella, Ed and Eddy's weekly movie night to have some time to myself.

I walked deep into the woods, not wanting to be found. I located the stream that ran through the trees and sat beside it. I ran some water against the cigarette burn and more tears formed in my eyes.

Brandon had been mean to me ever since we met. He never cared much for the smart kids in the school, but he had never been _thi_ s bad. He had turned into... a thug, basically. When we were younger, Brandon had always said he would never smoke, though now that I think about it, that might just have been to impress Bella, because she detested smoking. But now Brandon was smoking _on school grounds!_

I had noticed that Brandon had also been picking on my fellow Mathletes, though not as much as he had been on me, but certainly more than he used to. He used to only pick on them once a week, but now it was every other day.

And he rarely left the trailer park anymore, even when his sisters left to see us. He was definitely acting very strange lately...

I stiffened as I heard a rustling nearby. I looked up from my reflection to see _Brandon Kanker_ walking right towards the creek. He skidded to a stop as his eyes found me kneeling by the creek.

"The HECK are _yo_ u doin' here?!" He yelled, his hands balled into fists.

"Oh, B-Brandon," I smile nervously, standing up slowly, "I-I was j-just w-walking. I d-didn't k-know you c-came here. Um, I-I'll just leave."

Brandon glared at me as I walked away from the clearing at into the trees. I was about to leave, but my curiosity got the better of me and I hid nearby. Just what _wa_ s Brandon doing out here?

Brandon took out a cigarette from his pocket and lit it. He lifted up his shirt a bit, and I was horrified to see _cigarette burn_ s! Brandon winced as he placed the cigarette against his skin, leaving a small, round burn. I couldn't stop myself as I ran back into the clearing.

"Brandon, w-what are you _doing?_!" I cried, still horrified.

"Hey, I thought I told you to get lost!" Brandon yelled, dropping his shirt down.

"I know but," The words were stuck in my throat, "Brandon, why are you doing this to yourself?!"

"None of your business!" Brandon snapped.

Small tears formed in my eyes. He may have been a jerk to me ever since we met, but that didn't mean I wanted _thi_ s for him!

"Brandon, please, tell me what all this is about!" I begged him, "M-maybe I could help."

Brandon glared at me.

"Yeah, right!" He shouted, "Get lost _and for_ get _everything_ , or else!" He held up a balled up fist and my eyes widened as I ran off. Something was defiantly up with the Kanker brother, and I was going to find out what.

* * *

The next day Brandon and his gang met up with me outside the front door. I gave each of them their homework and they headed inside. I saw Brandon glare at me slightly before he entered the building.

I followed and at the bell I entered the classroom. I glanced sideways at Brandon and saw a small burn on his side. I looked away and up at the teacher.

* * *

At lunch Brandon snagged my lunch again, but he looked angry.

"Ugh, no dessert _again_?!" He yelled, "Nerd, you gonna get it!"

"N-no, p-please!" I begged as Brandon's two gang members pinned me against the lockers. Brandon put his hand on my chest to hold me back and drew back his fist. I flinched, fearing the pain I was about to endure, but all of a sudden I heard a sound of flesh against flesh, but felt no pain.

I opened one eye slowly then the other snapped open at the sight. Bella was standing there, seething, and Brandon was holding his cheek, where, between his fingers, I could see a bruise mark. Brandon glared at the furious Bella.

"How. Fricken. DARE. You!" Bella yelled, "No one messes with my _amicos_ , especially my _passo fratello!"_

Brandon glared as he walked off with his gang to the nurse. Bella took my hand and looked me up and down. Eventually, she found the cigarette burn.

" _Doppio_ D, did he do this?" Bella asked. I looked at her worried face, but she couldn't hide the anger in her yellow cat eyes.

"Um, no," I lied. I still wasn't going to tell about Brandon smoking, "I accidentally did that while, um, making supper the other night."

Bella sighed and rolled my sleeve back down.

"Has Brandon been doing this a lot lately?" She asked.

"Um, no, just this once," I lied once more. I did want help, but I also wanted to find out what was up with Brandon, and I knew I couldn't do that if I told anyone what was happening.

Bella looked at me, as if trying to detect a lie, but she wasn't that good with detecting lies yet, only making them. She sighed and looked down.

"Come on, _Doppio_ D," Bella said, "Let's go get lunch. I'll but you something."

"Oh, you don't have to do that," I said. Immediately following my sentence was the rumble of my stomach.

"Nonsense, of course I do," Bella smiled at me, "You're my step-brother. We gotta take care of each other."

I smiled slightly at my step-sister's ability to care so much. We were step-siblings, of course, but that never meant she had to love me like a real brother, but she cared for me as if I was directly related.

Bella gave me enough money to buy lunch and we sat down with Ed and Eddy. Bella didn't tell them about Brandon. She said that I had forgotten my lunch again. I smiled thankfully at her.

Just then May walked over and sat down next to Ed. Now, I know it may sound strange, but over the years Ed had become less scared of May, but only to the point where they were friends, not dating.

"Hey, big Ed," May greeted with a bucked-tooth smile.

"Hi, May!" Ed smiled back, "Want an apple?" Ed held up his uneaten apple. The school lunch line had a rule where it was required to take a fruit or vegetable, but Ed still never ate his.

"No thanks," May said, "I'm stuffed!" She patted her belly for emphasis. Felice crawled slowly onto her lap. While Felice was now a bit more friendly with May since she stopped chasing Ed, Felice still didn't trust her that well. It took a while to earn Felice's trust.

"Hi, kitty!" May smiled, "Want some tuna?" May pulled out a bit of lunch meat tuna which I supposed came from her home-brought lunch. Felice gratefully ate the tuna, and afterward meowed slightly.

"She says, ' _grazie_ '," Bella translated.

I didn't encounter Brandon for the rest if the day, except for when we passed him when he was on his way to detention.

Again.


	3. The Dance Part 1

For the rest of the week, Brandon had been getting harder and harder on me, but I had something else to think about, too.

Next Friday was the Back-To-School yearly dance. I wanted to go, but not alone. I decided that if I didn't find a date by Friday, I just wouldn't go to the dance.

The problem is, there are a few girls I'd like to ask, but every time I try to, I get so nervous I can't speak. Eddy, Ed, and Bella have been trying to help me get over my fear of girls, but it hasn't helped much.

I had thought about it, and if I don't find a date, I'd be the only kid in the cul-de-sac who doesn't! Eddy and Bella are of course going together, Ed and May are going as friends, Sarah and Jimmy aren't in high school so they don't count, Kevin and Nazz are going and Kevin's hoping to finally tell Nazz how he feels, Jonny is going with a girl named Rachel, and Rolf isn't going, since he was never one for dances. Even PLANK has a date!

I've seen Brandon sulking around the halls lately, and once or twice I've tried to figure out what's making him so miserable, but all I get is 'Beat it, nerd!' and a threat before I fearfully walk away.

* * *

At lunch, the day before the dance, I decided that I was finally going to ask a girl to go with me to the dance. Already sweating, I walked up to a girl named Hannah. She was very pretty, her curly red hair reaching down to her back, but she was also very bright, too! She's in a few of my classes, and she's almost as smart as I!

"Um, h-hello, H-Hannah," I said nervously. Hannah looked at me, as well as her friends, "Um, c-can we t-talk in p-private?"

"Sure," Hannah stood up, "Um, Eddward, isn't it?"

"Y-yes," I answered, "But you can call me Double D. All my friends do."

Hannah giggled slightly and I blushed, cursing Eddy for giving me my nickname.

"Um, yes, well," I started, "W-would you l-like to go to the d-dance w-with m-me?" I had my eyes closed, preparing for the rejection, but it didn't come.

"Of course!" Hannah smiled, "I've been waiting for you to ask me."

My eyes snapped open.

"R-really?" I asked, a smile creeping up my face.

"Yeah!" Hannah nodded, "You're really nice. Last year I saw you a few times helping your sister and friends."

I couldn't stop myself from grinning so big the gap in my teeth was showing.

"So, I-I'll see you tomorrow?" I asked.

"Yeah!" Hannah smiled, "Thanks for asking me. I'd hate to see a sweet guy like you going by yourself."

I blushed slightly as Hannah walked away and sat back down with her friends. I walked back over to mine and looked at their smiles.

"So?" Bella asked, "What did she say?"

"She said yes," I told them, smiling.

"Way to go sockhead!" Eddy congratulated me.

After I had finished eating I decided to go to the library to think some stuff over. However, I ran into Brandon on my way.

"What's the rush, nerd?" Brandon asked, gripping my wrist. I winced slightly as his grip tightened.

"Um, j-just heading to the library," I answered, trying to loosen Brandon's painful hold on my wrist.

"Word is that you finally got a date for the dance," Brandon said. Wait, what? Boy, did news spread fast in this school.

"R-really?" I asked, my face reddening with slight embarrassment.

"Yeah!" Brandon said, "Weak little Double D asking out the beautiful Hannah. Everyone's talking about it!"

"Well, yeah, duh, it just happened," I replied. I winced as I realized I might regret those words.

"I know it just happened, nerd!" Brandon yelled, throwing me against the wall, "You, the weakest nerd in school, have a date, while I can't even find one person!"

My eyes widened in shock. Was that why Brandon was being so mean lately?

"Brandon, is...is that why you've been so rough?" I asked, looking up at the Kanker's furious face.

"NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS, NERD!" Brandon shouted before punching me right in the stomach. I doubled over in pain to hold my stomach. I looked up to see Brandon stomping off, so angry steam might as well be coming out of his ears.

* * *

The next day after school, everyone was getting ready for the dance. Apparently, Felice also had a date, so Bella was helping her get ready. Me and Eddy were waiting downstairs for them. We were going to meet Ed and May at the dance.

Felice came down the stairs first. She was wearing a pink cat dress, (I didn't even know they made clothes for cats) a small sliver tiara, and she had light pink slippers.

"You look very nice, Felice," I complemented with a smile. Felice bowed slightly, which was her way of saying thank you.

We looked back up the stairs as Bella came down and Eddy's jaw dropped slightly. I have to say, Bella looked very beautiful.

She was wearing a sleeveless sparkly pink dress that went down to her knees, with a sparkly red bow on the back around the middle. Her hair was in a pony tail with a hair band with a pink flower on it.

"Bella, you look...beautiful," Eddy said, taking Bella's hand.

" _Grazie_ ," Bella said, smiling, "Bella _does_ mean beautiful in Italian."

"Well, should we be going?" I asked.

"Yeah, c'mon," Eddy said.

We all left and Father drove us to the dance. He dropped us off and Bella told him she'd call him when he should pick us up.

" _Ti amo papá_ ," Bella said before kissing Father on the cheek, " _Grazie_ for driving us."

" _Ti amo troppo principessa_ ," Father gave Bella a quick hug, "No problem."

We walked inside and met up with Hannah. She wore a dark red sleeveless dress that went down to her ankles. Well, it wasn't really sleeveless, the sleeves weren't attached, but there were sleeves. Her curly hair was put up in a messy bun.

"Hannah, you look stunning," I smiled at Hannah, who smiled back.

"Thanks, this was my mom's," She explained, looking down at the dress.

"This is going to be a lot of fun," I smiled.

Little did I know that the night wasn't going to be as beautiful as I had imagined.


	4. The Dance Part 2

I heard a meow and looked down to see Felice and another cat. He had black-and-white fur in a pattern that looked like a tuxedo. Felice looked up at us and meowed.

"She says 'This is Tux'," Bella translated, "It's nice to meet you."

Just then May and Ed rushed over. May was wearing a half-sleeve yellow dress, similar to Fluttershy's dance dress in Equestria Girls. (Bella picked it for our movie night one time, all right?)

"Wow, May, your dress looks just like Fluttershy's!" Bella said.

"Thanks," May smiled, "I love My Little Pony, especially Fluttershy."

"I like Pinkie Pie," Bella said, "She's a lot like me: pink, happy, and full of energy."

We all went to find a table and sat down, chatting for a bit. It was when I volunteered to get everyone some punch that I met Brandon again.

As I poured out six cups of punch, plus two bowls for Felice and Tux, I glanced over at Brandon and his gang, who were standing nearby. Lee and Marie were also standing with them. Neither of them had been asked to go to the dance with anyone, so they were pretty upset.

Brandon glared and me and cracked his knuckles. I gulped. I had guessed he was upset that I didn't ask Marie to the dance, and nothing was more important to Brandon that his sisters. Even though they sometimes fought, he still cared about them.

But I didn't think that was the only reason he was upset.

I didn't know much, but I was getting closer to figuring out why Brandon had been a bigger brute since he lost his crush on Bella.

I put all the cups on a tray and walked back to our table, trying not to bump into anyone. I set down the tray at the table and handed everyone a cup, and Felice and Tux, who were using piles of books as booster seats, the two small bowls of punch.

We continued talking for a while, though the ladies were mostly singing and every once in a while went off to the dance floor. Ed joined them once or twice, and Bella even got Eddy to dance to one song, but I was never the dancing type. I had just come to socialize.

During one song I was all by myself at the table, watching everyone else dance. All of a sudden, Brandon had stuck up on me, grabbing the back of my shirt.

"Hey, nerd," he said, "What's the matter? Your date bailed on ya?" He laughed slightly and for some reason I felt braver than usual.

"Actually, my date _is_ still here," I said calmly, "More than I can say for yours." I knew I had gone too far.

"THE FRICK YOU SAY TO ME?!" Brandon yelled, pinning me against my chair by my neck. His gang was holding my arms to the side of the chair.

"B-Brandon, I-I'm s-sorry!" I choked out, "I-I don't know w-what c-came over m-me!"

"Nerd, sorries ain't working no more!" Brandon shouted. Once again he drew his fist back, but again, when I braced myself with my eyes closed, I felt no pain. Instead, I heard a familiar voice and two bodies fall to the floor.

"STAY AWAY FROM MY BOYFRIEND!" Marie had attacked her brother and brought him to the ground. The music ceased and the crowd gathered around the two, watching them struggle.

Brandon's gang had let go of me out of shock. None of them would hit a girl, especially Brandon's sister. Bella rushed forward and grabbed me, dragging me away from the fight. I was frozen with shock.

Marie had saved me before, most notably during the Incident, but she had never physically attacked her brother before. I suppose she didn't think it was fair, since she was a girl and Brandon would never hit his sisters. But here she was, attacking Brandon just to save _m_ e.

"All right, break it up! Break it up!" Principal Antonucci showed up.

Marie pulled herself off of her brother, not taking her glaring eyes away from him. Brandon picked himself up, glaring back at his sister, but I don't think there was a thought in his head about hitting her back.

"What's going on here?!" Principal Antonucci asked. I slowly raised my hand. I didn't want to tell on Brandon, but this had gone too far.

"Principle, sir," I began, "Brandon was about to- to beat me up, but...Marie here saved me." Marie whipped her head around to look at me in surprise and gratuity.

"Brandon?" Principal Antonucci asked, "Brandon Kanker?" He turned to looked at Brandon and his face reddened with anger, "Young man, this is the third report this week I've heard about you attacking other students! Come with me, I need to speak with you in my office."

Principal Antonucci grabbed Brandon by his arm near his shoulder and dragged him to his office. As they passed me, I saw Brandon do three things that made me almost faint from fear.

He pointed at himself, then me, then brought his finger across his neck.

* * *

The next day, Saturday, I was too scared to leave the house. I was filled with guilt and fear. I knew for sure that Brandon was going to be expelled, I just knew it. And I knew that, for that, he'd kill me.

Mother finally made me leave the house at noon, so I went to walk in the woods. Bella always went for a walk when she was upset, so I thought I'd try it. Plus, I had quite a few things to think about, and the woods was a great place to think.

I might have finally figured out why Brandon has been so mean.

When we were younger, and Brandon had his crush on Bella, he had been, well, a bit nicer. He still picked on me and called me nerd, but he never really beat me up. I think it might have been because he was trying to impress Bella.

May had told us stories about how Brandon used to be the worst kid in school before they moved to the Trailer Park. That's actually _why_ they moved there. Brandon had gotten kicked out of his last school for being a brute, so they moved to Peach Creek so he could go to the school.

When he met Bella, well, that's where I think he calmed down. He loved Bella, he just didn't know how to handle his love. But he acted a lot nicer, from what I can tell, just so he could impress Bella.

After he lost his crush on her, he didn't have anyone to impress, so he went back to being a brute. Maybe I'm on to something...

Finally, I stumbled into Brandon, and gulped fearfully as I looked up at his angry-red face. All of a sudden, he grabbed the front of my shirt and threw me backwards to the ground.

"YOU GOT ME EXPELLED!" Brandon yelled.

"Brandon, I-I apologize," I looked at Brandon as I stood up, "I-I never meant f-for you to g-get e-expelled. I would n-never want t-to mess w-with your e-education."

"FORGET THAT!" Brandon shouted, once again grabbing my shirt and pinning me against a tree, "MY MOM'S TICKED! I GOT GROUNDED!"

I frowned slightly at that statement.

"W-wait, then what are you doing out here?" I asked, "Surely...your mother must have forbid you to go outside."

"First, yeah, she did, but like I would listen," Brandon said, "Second, my mom's name isn't Shirly."

"W-what?!" I cried, "B-but Brandon, you should always listen to your parents!"

"DON'T TELL ME WHAT TO DO, NERD!" Brandon yelled. He pulled his fist back, and, for once, I actually felt the pain.


	5. Help

It was a month later before I even saw Brandon again. I had managed to hide the bruise until it somehow healed overnight like they always did. I was once again roaming the woods when I saw Brandon curled up against a tree, his face buried in his arms. I was shocked to see him actually crying slightly.

"B-Brandon?" I dared to try and communicate with him.

"Go away," was all Brandon said. He didn't even looked up.

"Brandon, please, tell me what's wrong," I tried again to find out what was making him act like he did.

He looked up at me, and for once I saw sadness in his eyes, instead of the usual anger. He sighed and looked at his feet.

"I have no one," he mumbled, barely loud enough for me to hear.

"What do you mean?" I asked, not sitting down in case he decided he strike again.

"I've thought about it all week," he said, "This is the fifth school I've been expelled from. My mom can't send me to a new school. No one will take me. In both school life, and love life."

My eyes widened. _This_ was why Brandon had been so upset! He's frustrated that everyone else- including me- are finding some sort of love, and he's still alone.

"Why would you think that?" I asked.

"God, look at me, nerd!" Brandon burst. I shrank back a bit, "I've been expelled from five schools, no others will take me, what girl likes that?!"

None that I could think of, but I did have a solution.

"Bella told me about this anger-management school she went to when she lived in Italy," I explained, "There isn't one around here, but...maybe I could help with your anger."

Brandon looked like he might have been considering it.

"Yeah, right," he said, looking away, "You can't help."

"Bella's told me all about it," I continued, "I really think I could. Please...let me try?"

"Fine," Brandon sighed after a minute.

"Thank you, Brandon," I smiled.


End file.
